Chapter 274: Do You Regret It?

“Still nothing…”

“Were we expecting too much?”

A minute later, disappointed sighs spread through the thirteen Provinces.

Divine Province’s officials tried to rally them.

[Only two thousand places have been announced!]

[Perhaps our Champions did better than we expected and made the top eight thousand.]

Some of the Lords took heart.

[That’s right. We should trust them!]

[Geniuses create miracles. And we have Cassian, the Homeworld’s greatest newcomer!]

Lords from the Western Alliance and the Black Banner disliked that title, but for now they kept quiet.

They remembered Cassian’s previous results too well. Mock him now, and they might end up humiliating themselves again.

The answer would come soon enough.

In less than half an hour, every place below the top five thousand had been announced.

Hope became disappointment, then something close to despair. Even the most optimistic Lords struggled to believe that a Legion of a thousand Champions could reach the top five thousand.

Only Divine Province’s officials refused to give up.

[Don’t lose heart. That’s still only five thousand places!]

[The lower ranks are close together. Luck matters too. A few more percentage points of completion could put our Legion in the top five thousand.]

Mira had chosen those officials from Lords who had followed Cassian since the sector opened. Claiming they would all die for him would have been an exaggeration, but their loyalty was beyond doubt.

This time, few people answered them.

Some Black Banner and Western Beacon Lords finally lost patience with waiting.

[You Crown Lords are ridiculous. Still lying to yourselves?]

[Still waiting for Cassian to perform a miracle?]

[Don’t include the Jade Court in that. We aren’t so naive.]

The officials replied just as coldly.

[Worry about yourselves. Didn’t your idiot commander provoke Mount Celestia and ruin a strong position? Your Second Legion might not even make the top thousand.]

That silenced the mockery for a moment.

The Second Legion had started with almost a full roster. If it failed to reach the top thousand, its performance would be more embarrassing than the First’s.

Another half hour passed.

[Places 1,001–2,000…]

[Rewards for the Provinces represented by participating Lords: Map area +36%. Resource Index +36%. Aether concentration +36%. Wild creature resources +36%. Chance of wild Buildings appearing +36%.]

There was no Homeworld entry.

Across the Provinces backing the Second Legion, relief gave way to cheers. Western Alliance, Black Banner, Bharan, and even the Jade Court’s Lords celebrated.

“The top thousand! We made it!”

“All those Champions withdrawing this morning frightened me.”

“They did well to hold on. Who could have expected Mount Celestia?”

A Black Banner Lord was quick to claim credit.

“Our warriors threw themselves into the fight without fearing death. That’s how the Temple survived.”

A Western Beacon Lord would not let that pass.

“What about our nano-warriors? Western Beacon deserves at least half the credit for holding the Temple.”

“Western Beacon? Isn’t that idiot Malcolm one of yours?”

Before the quarrel could go much further, someone remembered the thirteen Crown Provinces.

[Who said the Second Legion wouldn’t make the top thousand?]

[Don’t waste your anger on a few clowns, Lord Torvik.]

[Where have those Crown Lords gone? Surely you don’t think your Legion made the top thousand too?]

They no longer feared being proved wrong.

Even Divine Province’s officials fell silent. However much they trusted Cassian, none dared claim that his tiny Legion had reached the top thousand.

——

Third Realm. Highcrest.

Three figures sat facing one another, watching the rankings unfold in a projection.

After a long silence, the Valcrest founder swore. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

“Those little bastards really failed to make the top ten thousand. Thirteen Provinces together—I thought they had a chance.”

Edran was already irritable with worry over the vitality Darian had spent. The words little bastards made his expression darken.

“The Valcrest youngsters may be little bastards. Ours are not.”

The founder stared at him. Since when could an elder not scold a few juniors?

He could not see what he had done to offend Edran. Still, Edran was the senior among them. He could only take it with a grin.

“All right. All the little bastards belong to House Valcrest. House Frost’s children are perfect.”

Edran looked ready to choke on his reply. There was no dealing with this shameless old man.

The Caerwyn Sovereign rose.

“Since the result is clear, I’ll take my leave.”

All three knew that the young Lords had hidden strengths. But even the best hidden strength could only compensate for so great a difference in numbers.

The top thousand was out of the question.

“The Second Legion’s result is still to come,” Edran said. “Why not stay? This is a live broadcast, after all.”

“No.” The Caerwyn Sovereign shook his head. “Mount Celestia attacked them yesterday. Even if their Temple survived, they’ll have spent their strength holding it together. They won’t make the top hundred.”

He offered a farewell gesture, and his projection faded.

“Then I’ll be going too.”

The Valcrest founder rose and departed as well.

Only after they were gone did Edran allow his doubts to show.

“My nineteenth spent so much of his vitality on Bloodline Invocation, reaching across the void for help. And they didn’t even make the top ten thousand? That doesn’t seem right.”

He frowned.

“The boy may be hotheaded. But Maren and Bren have too much experience to stand by and let him act recklessly…”

——

The Caerwyn Sovereign was right about the Second Legion. It missed the top hundred by a wide margin.

[582: Second Homeworld Legion — Humans.]

[Rewards for the Provinces represented by participating Lords: Map area +60%. Resource Index +60%. Aether concentration +60%. Wild creature resources +60%. Chance of wild Buildings appearing +60%.]

A rumble seemed to sound beside every Homeworld Lord’s ears.

Across the Realm, every Province outside the thirteen represented by the First Legion began to transform.

“Sixty percent more Aether! I’m out on the Provincial map, and every breath feels refreshing!”

“I found a native Domain!”

“Epic resources! Two Epic resource sites!”

The result fell well short of their expectations. Even so, the Lords of those Provinces were jubilant.

A Black Banner Lord posted a mocking question.

[Leaving Divine Province aside, I’d like to ask the Lords of the other twelve Crown Provinces: do you regret your choice?]

Some did, a little. Others remained firm.

Whatever they felt privately, the Lords who had stayed now stood together.

[Fortunes change. The Contest of Champions is only the beginning.]

[Those bonuses don’t increase your combat strength. We’ll see who wins on the battlefields beyond our borders.]

A Western Beacon Lord sneered.

[Still refusing to admit it? The Homeworld’s first Provincial Ranking measures Construction Index.]

[Your Resource Index is already sixty percent behind ours. How do you expect to compete?]

[Fall behind once, and you’ll keep falling behind. Perhaps you should start over in tomorrow’s new sector. You might still make something of yourselves there.]

The Lords of the thirteen Provinces were furious, but they had no answer. For now, that resource gap was real.

——

In Fivefold Heaven, the Second Legion greeted its result with mixed feelings.

The top thousand and the top hundred were major thresholds. Their generation of Lords was the Homeworld’s strongest in decades, yet they had still failed to reach the higher one.

[Curse Mount Celestia. Without that attack, we might have made the top hundred.]

[Mount Celestia? They were our rivals. Of course they could attack us. What about the Council splitting our force at the last moment? Or Malcolm provoking Gideon? That’s where this mess began.]

Many Lords agreed at once.

With Malcolm under attack again, Nerissa Vaust stepped forward to defend her useless ally.

[Listen. The people responsible for dividing the Homeworld are Divine Province and the other twelve Crown Provinces. They put themselves before the greater good.]

[The Crown’s authorities have already made an official announcement confirming that. Stop twisting the truth to suit yourselves.]

[And even if those thirteen Provinces had joined us, we still wouldn’t have made the top hundred. The gap was far too great.]

She was making excuses for Malcolm and avoiding the real issue. Yet the mention of the First Legion drew everyone’s attention.

[So the First Legion really failed to reach the top ten thousand…]

Some sighed. Others took pleasure in the failure they imagined, or openly celebrated it.

Nerissa could not resist. She posted in the All-Races Champions Channel, speaking as though her victory were complete.

[Nerissa Vaust: To everyone in the First Legion—now that you’ve seen the Second Legion’s excellent ranking, do you feel even a little regret?]